Electoral decisions and the “acceptance” of gender and sexual diversity in the family: an analysis of conflicts and conciliations between “trans people” and their families in 2018 elections for president of Brazil

Abstract

This article discusses the dilemmas, tensions, and conflicts experienced by “trans people”, travestis and transsexuals, in family relations during the Brazilian electoral campaign of 2018. The objective is to understand how disputes in the political arena involving sexual moralities, conceptions of gender and sexuality and family values ​​were experienced in the daily lives of the research subjects with their families. The issue is relevant because it highlights the permeability of politics to intimate life, contributing to understanding the extent to which relationships with trans or homosexual family members influence voters’ preferences for candidates considered progressive or conservative in issues related to gender and sexual diversity. The analysis is based on ethnographic data from field research conducted over 14 months, between 2018 and 2019, in João Pessoa (PB). The research took place in a public health clinic of the “Transsexualizing Process” of the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), in public policy centers for homosexuals, travesties, and transsexuals, and in the activities of an organization of “LGBT children” families. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews were also conducted with 21 transgender men, transgender women, and transvestites, as well as with 14 family members of transsexual individuals. The research highlighted how conflicts within the realms of sexual and gender diversity, which gained prominence in public debate during the 2018 elections, also had effects on the dynamics of “acceptance” within family relationships, influencing voting decisions and alignment with candidates identified as either supportive or opposed to the rights of sexual and gender minorities.